


A Dying Heartbeat

by DysfunctionalRequest



Category: Banana Bus Squad
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Death, Delirious being Delirious, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Evan is an owl now, Evan is slowly dying, Fear of Death, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Evan Fong, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Owls, PLEASE GIVE IT A GO, Reincarnation, Violence, it will be explained
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:07:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28046682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DysfunctionalRequest/pseuds/DysfunctionalRequest
Summary: The last thing Evan remembers before now is pain and fear. He remembers knowing that he was going to die, and he was powerless to stop it.So he is confused why he wakes up again as an owl. Was this the end? Or a chance to save himself from death?He doesn’t know. But he knows his time is running out.Ideas based on the book Jennie by Paul GallicoON HIATUS DUE TO WORK OVERLOAD, BACK SOON (HOPEFULLY)
Relationships: Brock Barrus & Evan Fong, Evan Fong & Brian Hanby, Evan Fong & Daithi De Nogla, Evan Fong & Everyone, Evan Fong & Jonathan | H2ODelirious
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23





	1. A Second Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive comments are really appreciated, thanks :)

Rain was falling steadily onto the smooth roads, creating trails of water between the cracks of the tarmac. Gusts of wind tossed shreds of litter and debris into the air and into bushes and trees, getting lost in the night.

Evan woke up to one of these pieces of litter brushing against his face. The rain forced him further into consciousness, soaking him further to the bone until he couldn’t feel his own limbs.

Everything was a blur. The Canadian could barely remember who he was, and as his brown eyes scanned his surroundings, he had no clue where he was either. It looked strange, as if he was staring from a different perspective.

He found, quite quickly, that he had no strength to get up, or even move. A pulsing pain was in his chest, making his breath catch.

He occupied his swirling thoughts in desperately trying to remember how he got to this position, but only snippets were brought up.

_A screech of tires, followed by a horrible pain –_

_Watching a car drive away in panic as he choked on blood, knowing he was going to die –_

Waves of fear struck him, and he quickly stopped reaching through his mind. He decided that lying on the cold road was better than trying to figure out what the hell happened to him, because it was easier to be naïve in this moment.

Cold was taking over his body and he trembled, closing his eyes for a few seconds. He tried to move his arm and finally succeeded, attempting to drag himself to the curb beside him.

When he opened his eyes again, he expected to see his tan arm reached out in front of him. He didn’t expect to see feathers.

At first it didn’t register in his muddled mind, but reality quickly hit hard and he gave out a cry – which sounded a lot more like a squawk. He was staring at a collection of long, tawny feathers that formed a wing. His breath hitched, eyes widening.

What the hell actually happened to him?

The last memory he remembered was definitely in a human body, but after was blackness, a sense of falling.

_He was dying alone –_

Forcing his aching muscles to move, he stood up unsteadily. With horror, he saw he had long talons for feet, and battered wings for arms.

Stumbling in his new form, he made his way to the closest puddle, finding a reflection that wasn’t his own staring at him.

It was an owl.

A great horned owl, if he was being specific.

Evan gave a shout of surprise, but only another squawk was produced. Unable to keep up his strength anymore, he collapsed into the puddle.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds, shuddering against the freezing gusts of wind.

He needed to find help, that was certain, but he didn’t know how, or where to even start. He wasn’t even in Canada, he quickly remembered – he was in America for the week to visit friends.

The thought of his friends gave him a new determination, and he pushed himself from the ground again, opening his eyes. Only now, as he was becoming more awake, did he realise how sharpened his senses were. He could make out every leaf of the ground despite it being pitch black.

Evan shifted his feet – talons, shifted his talons – searching for any civilisation around him. There was nothing in sight, the road barren and empty. Wearily, he shuffled onto the thin pavement, tripping over the curve and almost falling down again.

He didn’t have any idea how close he was to any of his friends, and it would take a miracle for him to find them at this time of night. However, it was a miracle he was in this position in the first place so he wasn’t excluding it completely.

He gazed up at the sky, his new wings twitching instinctively. He gave them an experimental flap before realising he didn’t know how to fly and it would only end in disaster.

But he needed to find a place somewhere, and his lack of memory wasn’t helping matters. He could feel his strength fading again, and knew he needed to make a choice quick before he was stuck on the road.

To think that he was planning to play with Brock, Delirious and Brian tonight – his heart flipped at the thought of them waiting to show up on the call. It could’ve been hours, or days after that date, Evan couldn’t tell.

He flapped his wings again messily, watching small feathers scatter the ground as he stumbled across the sidewalk. The size of his wings alone was making him unsteady – they were larger than his own body – and he fell to the ground again with a feeble hoot.

Really, how did this happen?

He hoped that it was just a strange dream, as cliché as the thought sounded, because then he allowed himself not to think about it too much. He didn’t dwell on the concerning thoughts, like was he trapped like this forever, was this a second life, had he really died –

He just kept moving, half-flying and half-walking, trying to find somewhere warm. The rest he could deal with later. Or never, he hoped.

There was a sudden light blinding him, and the roar of an engine that made Evan freeze in fear. A new, more animalistic side of him scurried away from the sound, heart pounding in his chest. He saw a flash of metal and a deafening roar, then the car was gone as quick as it came.

Evan instantly relaxed, breathing deeply. His feathers were ruffled, and he automatically tried to neaten them with his beak. He paused, realising how strange the action was for him.

He supposed he would have to get used to this if he was a full time owl now – after all, he was an animal, not a human. There was bound to be some instincts that were just plain weird to him.

Trying not to think about it too much, Evan continued to walk exhaustedly. The cold and the rain were making his condition worse, and he wasn’t sure how long he could keep going.

His sharp eyes suddenly spotted a turn in the darkness, and he could make out the warm glow of artificial lights.

He gave his wings a few more quick flaps, feeling himself lifting off the ground. Despite his circumstances, a small flare of pride lit in his chest as he messily flew a few metres off the ground and towards the light.

Noisily, he crashed back to the floor, raindrops scattering around him in his wake.

A gas station was towering in front of him, its bright lights burning into his new eyes. He looked away quickly, searching for some kind of shelter.

He found none.

It wasn’t like he could just walk into the gas station anymore, not as an owl. If he got out of this, Evan told himself, he was going to donate his entire savings to an owl based charity because he can now say owls deserve more respect.

A particularly brutal gust of wind pushed his frail body over, and he found he didn’t have enough strength to pull himself up again. He was left slumped against a blue car, eyes slipping shut in fatigue. His entire body grew numb as the rain lashed onto him, making him tremble.

“Yeah, he forgot it again and now I’m stuck in the rain because of it!”

A voice, muffled by the wind and rain, made his head twitch. He couldn’t recognise it, or even tell if it was male or female due to the ringing in his head.

“Nah, it’s okay. Luke always forgets shit, I’m used to it!”

Evan closed his eyes, flinching at the loud bang of a car door opening.

“No, no - I’m good! I’ve only got a few more hours until I get back to California anyways. Now get to bed before I tell Mom!”

The car door shut again, but it sounded distant and underwater. He could barely make out anything around him, and he huddled closer in on himself in an attempt to stay warm.

“Shut the hell up! Goodnight!”

The heavy sound of footsteps made him tense up, but he knew he couldn’t escape in time. He just hoped that the person was merciful and left him alone.

“Oh.”

Evan was suddenly very aware of something standing over him. He opened one eye blearily, seeing a blurred face above him.

A warm finger suddenly stroked his wing, making him tense again. When realising that he wasn’t going to be hurt, he closed his eye, letting himself fall deeper into unconsciousness. Hopefully he would wake up in his bed.

“Hang in there…I got you…” were the last words he heard before he finally lost consciousness.


	2. A Fated Meeting

“No, no – I don’t know where he even came from. He was just there.”

Evan opened his eyes slowly, feeling exhaustion drag on his bones. Everything was too blurred and bright so he chose to shut them again.

For a moment he could t remember where he was, or rather _what_ he was. He made a movement to get out of his bed, but was stopped as a material was wrapped all around him. He felt his talon flex against his new body, and the memories came back in a rush.

An owl.

So it wasn’t a dream.

“I don’t know…he looks pretty bad though. I didn’t even know owls like him lived around here!”

Judging by the familiar rumbles around him, he was in a car. He could feel pulses of warm air ruffling his feathers and he let himself relax in the warmth.

“No, he’s been asleep for a few hours now, I’m taking him back to my place. He’s soaking wet.”

So the man was talking about him. He was too weak to raise his head to look at his saviour, but he continued to listen to the conversation.

“You think so?” The man hummed, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “Oh - he’s got these dark feathers and these really cool things on his head that look like horns. And his wings are huge! And so are his claw things!”

The voice was annoyingly familiar, especially when more enthusiasm was expressed.

“Luke!” The man suddenly gave a wild laugh, and Evan snapped his eyes open in recognition. He had heard the laugh thousands of times, muffled behind a microphone.

Delirious.

Evan tried to say his name out loud, but only a quiet hoot was produced. Delirious didn’t hear it over the roar of the engine.

“Talons! That was it!” Delirious laughed again, confirming Evan’s suspicions. “Actually, he looks a lot like Vanoss’ character, y’know?”

Evan looked over at his friend, noticing his smile falling from his face. He spoke quietly, eyes shining with worry.

Worry for him.

It was strange hearing someone talk about him as if he wasn’t beside them, especially with that much worry.

“No, he hasn’t answered. He was supposed to be playing tonight but he never turned up.” Delirious said into the earpiece. “That was almost seven hours ago. He’s not answering any calls, any texts…” he paused, presumably listening to the other person on the line. He gave a sigh, shaking his head.

“But he always tells us if he’s busy.” His friend muttered. “I’m just worried about him.” He paused. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I don’t think he gets any sleep these days.”

Evan tried to protest automatically to the statement, but again only made a quiet squawk. Delirious turned to him in surprise, smile splitting across his face.

“He’s awake! Call you later!” His friend explained hurriedly before hanging up. His shockingly blue eyes flickered from him to the road.

“I thought you were dead, to be honest.” He said to him. Evan felt the car begin to slow. He huddled in the material wrapped around him, half closing his eyes. He still felt beyond exhausted, the adrenaline fading from his body that was previously keeping him awake. His feathers still were damp and stuck against his skin, making chills run down his back.

“You still don’t look too good though. But I’m gonna look after you, and then you can go back to doing owl stuff again.” Delirious gave a small smile, slowing the car further.

“You actually woke up at the best time. We’re almost at my house.”

Evan gave a small hoot, shivering.

“You’re still cold? That’s not good…” Delirious muttered with a frown. “Don’t worry we’re almost there.”

Evan felt his eyes close, and wasn’t aware he had actually fallen asleep again until he was woken by the jolt of a car, and the loud opening of a door.

“It’s okay…” Delirious soothed when Evan tensed, puffing out his feathers. Instinct, he supposed.

His friend’s hands reached around him and were surprisingly gentle as they lifted him into his arms. Evan gave a small hoot.

“It’s okay.” Delirious repeated quietly. “It’s okay.”

Evan closed his eyes again, listening to Jon’s heartbeat as they walked inside. Delirious fumbled with a light and closed the door behind him gently.

“Okay, okay, okay – water.” His friend walked into the kitchen quickly, placing him down on the counter. Evan shivered, feeling more numb than before. Was that normal for owls? He didn’t think so, but his mind wandered from the subject. He realised that it was becoming harder to breathe, like there was a great weight on his lungs.

“You thirsty?” Delirious must’ve heard his rasping breaths, because he all but ran back to him with a small cup in his hand. He was touched about how much he cared for this apparently regular bird.

The cup was pushed under his beak but Evan didn’t have the strength to reach for it.

“Come on. You can do it.” Delirious urged, moving the cup so that his beak was in the water.

It took a while, but Evan figured out how a bird drank, and managed to get a few gulps before becoming too tired. Delirious gently picked him up again, pressing him against his body.

“Now let’s get you warm…let’s see…” Delirious muttered.

A sudden, sharp pain in his chest made Evan jerk, eyes widening. It was irregular, and he knew that this was nothing to do with being cold. Jon’s voice faded as it struck again, making him black out.

_He was on the road again. Pain was everywhere, making him choke. He moved his hand – his human hand, he realised – forward slowly, wondering how he got there. He was with Jon, right? What happened? Why did it smell like copper so much –_

He blinked, opening his eyes again. He was back in Delirious’ house.

Before he had time to dwell on what the hell happened just then, his gaze was blocked by his friend’s concerned face.

“You woke up…thank god – you scared me!” Jon gave a nervous laugh.

Something warm was pressed against Evan’s chest, and he realised it was a hot water bottle. He was wrapped in at least five towels. It was his own little heated cocoon.

“Turns out that you are a Great Horned Owl according to Google.” Delirious flashed his phone at him for a second with a small smile. “But your eyes are different than normal. Yours are brown.” He mused.

Evan felt his eyes beginning to close again, finally losing the battle to stay awake. Delirious gave him a quick stroke on the head before standing up from his crouch.

“You get some rest! And no pooping on my sofa!” He joked. Evan gave a small hoot, letting his eyes close.

He wondered briefly about what he had just experienced in that confusing moment of pain. He felt his heart beat rapidly every time he did, fear spiking in his chest. For a second, he was in his regular body again, it seemed.

What happened to him?


	3. Questions

Time moved strangely – Evan knew time most be passing because of the changing sky next to him, but it felt like only minutes had passed. He never realised how ill he actually was, as he was too wrapped up in his own worries until now.

Thinking was almost impossible with his aching head. It was hard to breathe, and it felt like he was never getting warm despite the blanket that was wrapped around him.

However, all of the time he found that Delirious (Jon, he corrected himself – they weren’t on a game right now) was beside him or close enough for him to hear his rambles to himself.

In his ill state, he got hazy glimpses of the rest of the house, but was never awake for long enough to fully explore. Either owls slept more than humans, or he was really sick. Or a combination of both.

Evan reminded himself, if he ever was human again, to thank Jon enormously for the care he was receiving – heck, the gamer was even putting off videos to take care of him more. He was often gently poked awake to receive more water or food. He never managed to eat more than a few bites.

So when Evan woke up that night, he found himself confused, disoriented – but actually aware of many more things. The cold in his chest wasn’t completely gone, but it was manageable. He felt restless, wings aching to be stretched.

That was a weird thought. He was going to have to get used to this owl thing.

At first, he wasn’t sure what woke him up, but he quickly found the source.

Jon actually had him balanced on his lap, and was talking into his microphone. The screen flashed footage of COD brightly, making his eyes burn.

The gamer hadn’t noticed he was awake yet, and was talking with others. Surprisingly to him, he realised he could hear the other side of the conversation through the headphones quite easily, and tilted his head to listen.

“Delirious why?” A voice shouted – definitely Nogla – angrily, but Evan couldn’t help but notice it had lost lots of his usual gusto. It sounded fake.

“I had to, man.” Jon sounded the same, lacking his mischievous chuckle. It was like he was putting it on for the video - which he probably was, he realised. But why?

He had a feeling why, actually.

“Fuck this.” Brian, he identified. He gave a long sigh. “I can’t record right now. I’ll just post some older stuff. I – I can’t.” The Irishman muttered, giving another sigh.

“I just haven’t been recording.” Moo said quietly. “I just wanted to see how you guys were.”

There was a long pause.

“I just hope he’s okay.” Jon spoke up first, stopping his recording. “But as the days go on I can’t help but think that –“

“That somethings really wrong.” Nogla finished glumly.

Evan felt his heart ache, and he longed to be with them. The situation he was in hadn’t fully hit him until now – how was he going to become human again? Why was he an owl in the first place?

But the most disturbing question was one he tried not to dwell on, but it was only increasing its demand to be answered.

_What had he seen a few nights ago?_

Even now, only a few days after, the memory was fuzzy, almost non-existent. He remembered the strong smell of blood, the terrible pain in his body, the fear racing through his veins.

He needed to find out what was happening to him.

He had his suspicions of what he had seen, but he didn’t dare think of them fully. It was too frightening.

“That’s it.” Moo suddenly said. He heard rustling behind his mic. “I’m going to check on him. I’ll break down the door if I have to.”

“Please.” Brian requested. “Phone us immediately. Even if he’s fine.”

“Yeah I will.” Moo hummed. “Is he in America right now?”

“Yes, he is actually.” Jon spoke up. Evan looked up, curious. He couldn’t even remember that. “I was talking to him a few days ago, a few hours before recording.” Jon paused. “He said he was going to buy me a Pez Dispenser for my birthday because I never used one before…” Jon gave a small chuckle, but Evan just stared at him, confused. He couldn’t recall any of it.

“Did anyone speak to him after that?” David asked. The answer was a long silence.

“He was next to my state, I think.” Delirious told Moo after no one gave an answer. “Tennessee…said it was something to do with family.” He gave a chuckle. “Said he hated it…”

Brian gave a small laugh at the sentence.

“Do you have an address or anything?” Brick asked. Evan watched Jon nod, picking up his phone.

“Yeah. I’ll send it.” He answered, fumbling with the screen.

“I’m scared for him, y’know?” Brian said into the silence. Evan felt his heart twist again. He was right here, at least his mind was.

“Me too. He’s never…” David trailed off with a sigh.

There was suddenly a loud sound through the mic that Evan knew was the sound of someone entering the call. He didn’t have to wait long to find out who it was.

“I guess you’re not playing anything either.” Tyler’s voice asked through the headphones. Jon looked down at his keyboard, rubbing his face.

“No…” He replied for them all.

“I’m going to go check on him.” Brock told Tyler. “Jon says he was in Tennessee last, so that’s where I’m going.”

“Good. Find that fucker and tell him to answer his calls.” Tyler said in an angry tone, but Evan knew him too well to know he was actually angry.

There was another silence.

“Delirious tell us about this bird you keep going on about.” Brian suddenly said, changing the subject. Evan watched as Jon gave a weak smile, looking down at him.

“He’s in my lap right now - he’s awake!” He gasped, looking into his eyes. “He looks so much better!” He said excitedly.

“Really? That’s great!” David celebrated, and Evan could hear Tyler cheer.

“Good. You’ve been sending us loads of worried texts about that bird, it’s about time.” Brock said softly.

“Yeah.” Jon picked him up, inspecting him further. He shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. “I’m glad he’s okay. I really thought I was gonna lose him.”

“Thank god for Google, right?” Brian said teasingly. Evan heard a few chuckles in response.

“He’s a handsome owl, I can tell you that.” Jon gently rubbed his head with his finger, and he found himself beginning to relax. “Wait - I’ll send a picture!”

Evan zoned out of the conversation a bit after that, only listening out for his name, or any other concerning news. His feathers itched, and he wanted to fix them. It was a strange instinct, but Evan didn’t bother fighting it. It looked like he was going to be an owl for the long term.

“I better head off if I want to get some sleep before this flight.” Brock said, catching his attention.

“Yeah. It’s getting late.” Brian answered.

“I think we all need some sleep.” Tyler suggested. Evan watched Jon yawn, giving a nod.

“Yeah, you’re right.” His friend fiddled with the keyboard. “Night guys.”

His friends gave similar messages, and Jon logged off with a frown.

“I hope he’s okay.” His friend turned to him with a sigh.

Evan gave a small hoot of reassurance (or what he hoped was reassurance) and wiggled out of the hoodie wrapped around him. He puffed out his feathers, and stretched his wings.

“I suppose you’re ready to go now, aren’t you?” Jon said, stroking his chest. Before Evan could protest, he was picked up and brought to the back door.

The night sky glittered above them as they walked into the back yard, the gentle breeze jostling his feathers. Jon placed him on a branch, which he hooked onto quickly before he could slip.

“There you go.” Jon gave a weak smile. “You’re free again.”

Evan hopped towards him, giving another hoot. Jon simply turned away, shutting the door behind him.

Evan was left outdoors, apparently ready to live like an owl.

Yeah, fat chance.

He hopped off the branch, half flying to the ground with a thump. He walked to the door, scratching it with a talon. Either Jon couldn’t head or was ignoring him, because the door never opened.

He guessed he would have to wait until morning, and then sneak his way back inside. There was no way he was going to live out here when one of his closest friends was right next to him.

Evan narrowed his eyes, flapping his wings again. This time, he let instinct take over, and found himself flying (unsteadily) to the tree. He gave a loud hoot of excitement, testing his new skill again.

It was an amazing experience that he couldn’t put into words, flying higher into the sky for the first time. The wind stung his cheek and made him numb, bud he didn’t care. He circled lazily around Jon’s house, giving out calls of happiness.

Landing was still a problem. Untidily, he crashed into the tree again, clinging onto the branch. He nestled further in the leaves, not taking his eyes off the back door.

He wasn’t going to leave Jon any time soon.


	4. Visions

_He couldn’t breathe._

_Thick, metallic liquid clogged in his throat and forced him gasping into consciousness, his body trembling against the ground._

_Pain overwhelmed him – it was the only thing he could feel apart from the drowning sense of dread that coiled in his chest._

_He was alone._

_His mind pieced together that he was still on the damned road, shrouded by the long shadows cast by the trees. Gravel and dirt dug into his wounds, making his cry out sharply._

_A sense of urgent instinct surged through his weakened mind, telling him to find help._

_But he couldn’t lift a finger, and was left bleeding out in the cold night, his final breaths tortuously dragged on for the last few days. It was like something was keeping him alive, but whatever it was was weakening. His mind slowed, pain making him see white._

Evan was startled awake, staring around with wild eyes. Flashes of the blood-soaked road became less frequent as he fully woke, his chest burning.

He was surprised to see his owl body once more, knowing for certain that he was inhabiting his old one just a few vital seconds ago.

Already, the experience was fading from his mind, leaving the Canadian feeling like he was trying to grasp something which was just out of his reach. The fear that he had been experiencing was still dwindling in his blood, and he forced himself to steady his racing heart.

It was morning. The light hurt his sensitive eyes, and he wished he had kept them shut.

He gave a small squark, stretching his talons and wings before gliding to the windowsill opposite. His new reflection stared at him through the window, making him shiver.

Movement from the other side of the window caught his attention, and he perked up with a small hoot. The man he was watching turned around at the noise, eyes widening comically at the sight that lay before him.

“You were supposed to leave, you damn owl!” Jon shouted through the glass. Evan simply glared back the best he could.

Some of his expression must’ve been recognisable, because Jon flung the back door open with a sigh.

“Go back to your nest or whatever. You don’t belong here!” His friend said to him. Evan twisted his head (in a way that would immediately kill him if he were human – owls really did have twisting necks) and clicked his beak, digging his talons into the plastic beneath him.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Jon shrunk under his gaze, making Evan’s eyes light up in amusement. His dream almost forgotten, he took off into the sky, slipping under Jonathan’s outstretched arm and into his kitchen. He landed clumsily against the cupboards, leaving a trail of small feathers after him.

“What! No!” Jon protested, lunging for him. Evan was too quick, flying to the highest shelf and digging his feet into the wood.

Jon was his best chance right now of finding out what the hell happened to himself, and he wasn’t going to throw that opportunity away any time soon.

His friend must’ve seen the cold determination his eyes, because he shut the door with a chuckle.

“Alright. One more night!” He said, pointing up at him. “And then you need to go and be free!”

Evan huffed at Jon’s idea of “free”, gliding down again and perching on his friend’s shoulder.

Immediately, Jon gave a pained yell as his talons dug into his flesh, and Evan tumbled onto the ground in surprise.

He felt bile rise in his throat when he saw blood beginning to soak his friend’s shoulder through blue fabric.

“Shit!” Jon swore, rushing out of the room for a few seconds. Evan stood shakily, shocked by the damage he inflicted. His vision from last night resurfaced, and he hadn’t realised he was backing away until he hit the a cupboard door.

“Jesus.” Jon was back, his hoodie removed and a large towel on his right shoulder. He didn’t glance at Evan as he moved to the sink, running the towel under it and reapplying it to the wound.

“You almost cut me right open!” Jon gave a small chuckle, his back turned. “But I think my hoodie saved me for the most part, that’s why I get the real thick ones – hey, what’s wrong?”

Jon has turned, and was looking down at him. He watched as his friend gave him a small smile, holding his hand out.

“It wasn’t that bad! Come on, I got an idea.” When Evan didn’t move, Jon stood up and pulled a new hoodie (white) over his head. He then placed a towel under the material, over the uninjured shoulder. It looked like his shoulder was twice as thick, the towel bundled together.

“Here we go! I got protection now!” Jon gave a small laugh, patting his shoulder. “Hop on!”

Evan hesitated, flexing his talons nervously, but then decided to fly over to his friend and gently lowered himself onto his shoulder.

Jon didn’t even wince, giving him a huge smile.

“Ta da!” He laughed again, looking at him. “Didn’t even hurt!”

Evan let out the tension in his muscles, relaxing on his new perch. At least from here he could look over at Jon’s phone for any news, and keep up to date with what was going on regarding himself.

“You know, for an owl you are very expressive.” Jon muttered, studying him. Evan looked back into his eyes, pleading for him to somehow understand.

_That’s because I’m human, please understand –_

“Whoa, what’s wrong?” His friend asked after seeing the emotion glisten in his eyes. He suddenly face-palmed, striding over to the kitchen cupboards. “I bet you’re hungry, aren’t you!”

Evan recoiled at the tinned meat Jon placed on the counter, puffing out his feathers.

“Come on…” Jon plucked the Canadian off his shoulder (to his dismay) and placed him on the countertop. “It’s Walmart junk, but it will have to do until I can get better food.”

Gingerly Evan lowered his head and began to eat. It actually didn’t taste too bad despite it being raw.

Jon grinned, moving to the sink to pour himself a glass of water.

“You look so much better now! Before you were just a wet lump on the ground.” His friend chuckled. “I almost stepped on you. You’re very lucky.”

 _Yeah, lucky._ Evan thought sarcastically, flexing his talon in annoyance. He finished his “meal”, batting away the can with his wing. Jon burst out laughing, and Evan instantly relaxed.

“Come on, Hoodini.” Jon grinned, lifting up his shoulder. Evan wanted to laugh at the nickname, but settled for accepting the invitation into his shoulder and giving his ear a quick nip of affection. Jon giggled, stroking his neck.

“I think I’m gonna call you that for now. Hoodini.” Evan watched as Jon’s smile faded, his eyes glistening with concern. “My friend made a joke about it once.”

As if he was reminded, Jon pulled out his phone from his trouser pocket. Evan blinked hard as the screen lit up, displaying the familiar messenger logo.

“Come on…” Jon muttered, scrolling through texts too fast for Evan to read. He was thankful when his friend stopped, reading slowly. Evan read over his shoulder.

 _Almost there._ A text from Brock read. _I’ll tell you when I get to his house. Tried calling him again but I got nothing._

Evan kept reading, spotting a text from Tyler.

 _Tell him that I’m gonna kick his Canadian ass as soon as I know he’s okay,_ it said. Evan felt his heart twist, and he was unable to continue.

It was hard knowing that they would not find him in his home. Where he really was he didn’t know.

 _Thanks Moo,_ Jon clumsily typed back, and turned his phone screen off again with a sigh. He slumped onto a chair, and the movement forced Evan to fly upwards onto the hanging light. Jon looked up, and gave a small smile.

“Why are you even hanging around, huh?” His friend asked into the silence, staring at him with tired eyes. Evan could not reply, but tried to express his feelings through his eyes again.

Jon furrowed his eyebrows, staring at him.

“You look upset.” He noted quietly. “Is that why you wanted to stay? Because you were lonely?”

Evan gave a low hoot, gliding to the tabletop. He let Jon stroke his feathers, closing his eyes.

“I get lonely too sometimes.” His friend muttered, pulling out his phone again. “My friend usually helped with that, but now he’s not even looking at my texts. I’m worried about him. It isn’t right.”

Evan was helpless, and could only listen to Jon’s hurt.


End file.
